PART I - OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST - REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00395104
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: March 16, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 5, 2016
• Case Number: F-2014-02699
• Publication Date: August 4, 1960

Approved for Release: 2016/07/05 C00395104
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
4 August 1960
PART I
OF' IMMEDIATE INTEREST
REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Belgium, in agreeing to
withdraw its forces in Katanga
Province to one base there, ap-
pears to be moving slowly to-
ward a total military evacuation
of the Congo. Brussels' criti-
cism of UN Secretary General
Hammarskjold's announcement that
UN troops will enter Katanga on
6 August and its characteriza-
tion of the Katanga question as
an "internal" natter subject to
discussion among the Congolese
appear designed to support Katan-
ga Premier Tshombe without com-
mitting Belgium to his defense.
Tshombe, in his conversa-
tions with UN Under Secretary
Dr. Bnnche, may seek UN support
for a comprothise in which Katanga
would rejoin the Congo in return
for.a reorganization of the Con-
go into a federation of semi-
autonomous provinces. The UN
will v3most certainly attempt
to avoi0 becoming further in-
volved as mediator of an inter-
nal Congo,dispute, however, and
will probably seek merely to
dissuade Tshombe from forcibly
opposing the entry of UN troops.
TShombo's angry opposition to
the UN occupation may force a
delay in the entry; he probably
has no more than 500 trained
non-Belgian troops at his dis-
posal, however, and would be
unable to offer effective re-
sistance to the UN forces, which
now number over 11,000 men.
Brussels appears determined
to retain its two Congo bases--
Kamina in Katanga and Kitona in
Leopoldville Province--until such
time as it can negotiate terms
for a complete withdrawal with
the Lumumba government. Belgian
officials have declared that UN
entry does not entail the im-
mediate evacuation of Belgian
troops from Kamina. In Brussels,
the Congo crisis has led to dis-
cussions among government lead-
ers of a possible cabinet re-
shuffle. Social Christian and
Liberal coalition partners, al-
though agreeing to share re-
sponsibility for the Congo de-
bacle, have urged the rep/ace-
ment of Congo Ministers de
Schrijver and Scheyven.
Meanwhile, the major effort
being made by Ghana's Nkrumah
and Guinea's Sekou TourO to in-
fluence Premier Lumumba and
other members of the Congolese
Government may presage an early
announcement of some form of
association among the three
states.
Guinean political represent-
atives, brought into Leopold-
ville under military cover, have
been observed along with Soviet
representatives denouncing the
UN to Congolese officials. The
Guinoans--who appear to be work-
ing closely with the Russians
in Leopoldville--reportedly also
have urged the Lumumba regime to
take strong measures against
domestic opponents and against
Belgians. At'least some Congo-
lese officials are concerned
about Guinean activities in the
Congo, as evidenced by Foreign
Minister Bomboko's suggestion to
an American Embassy officer on
2 August that efforts be made
to bring in advisers from the
Federation of Mali as a counter-
weight to the Guineans.
PART T OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST
APPY OVell
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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
4 August 1960
CONGO
Brazzaville*
eLeopoldville
CABINDA
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
ANGOLA
4 AUGUST 1960
0 MILES 200
UNCLASSIFIED
31294
.Stanleyville
REPUBLIC OF:,
THE CONGO
Lumumba's departure from
New York on 2 August apparently
frustrated Soviet plans to request
a Security Council meeting on
the issue of Belgian withdrawal
from Katanga. The TASS chief
at the UN told correspondents
on 1 August that the USSR would
ask for a meeting while Lumumba
was in Now York, and a Soviet
Luluaburg
Kamina .
SUDAN
UGANDA
Bukavu IRUANDA
-URUNDI
Elisabethvillei
TANGANYIKA
FEDERATION OF RHODESIA
AND NYASALAND
UN delegate, after conferring
with the Congolese premier, mot
with the UN Secretariat regard-
ing the need for a Security
Council session. ''ASS announced
on 2 August that 20 Soviet medi-
cal workers, including experience(
doctors and surgeons, would leave
for the Congoih afew days�pre-
sumably the medical aid promised
on 31 July.
PART I
--SEGAWa.
'OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST
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tteltrrN
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY
4 August 1960
Moscow has stepped up its
efforts to discredit the UN role
in the Congo, and Soviet.offi-
cials in Leopoldville and in the
UN are actively encouraging
Congolese authorities in their
demands for total Belgian with-
drawal. Soviet moves appear
aimed at stimulating hostility
among the Congolese toward UN
efforts and at dividing the
Afro-Asian states from Western
members of the organization.
Moscow propaganda has been
specially critical of Hamar-
3kjold, charging that he is
supporting the NATO colonial
?owers by his "more than con-
iliatory position" and aggra-
vating the situation with his
"demagoguery." Dr. Bunche has
been accused of "directly par-
ticipating" in Belgian attempts
to bring about an economic
crisis in the Congo in order to
discredit the Lumumba government,
and UN troops have been charged
with acting as a shield to cover.
Western military aggression.
Moscow continues to stress
the USSR's support for the Congo-
lese Government and its readi-
ness to "take resolute measures
to rebuff the aggressors"--re-
iterated in a Soviet statement
of 31 July--but there is no in-
dication in recent statements
that dispatch of Soviet forces
is contemplated. Citing the
NATO countries as a group, the
Soviet statement also accused
the "aggressors and theirp.c-
complices" of trying to strangle
the Congolese Republic economical-
ly and smother its -independence
by armed force. A PASS report
of Lumumba's 28 July Washington
.press conference noted his re-
marks concerning a possible
appeal tor US military aid, and
referred to "provocative" ques-
tions from US reporters regarding
a request for Soviet help--ap-
parently to play down the sub-
ject of unilateral intervention
by the USSR.
Moscow announced on 1 Au-
gust the appointment of M. K.
Yakolev, former foreign minister
of the Russian Republic (RSFSR),
as ambassador to the Congo. A.
Fomin, who arrived in Leopold-
ville with a small party of of-
ficials on 21 July aboard a Soviet
food plane, has been named charge
d'affaires.
UN Technical Assistance
Hammarskjold is formulating
plans for UN technical assistance
to the Congo. Implementation de-
pends on the UN's success in se-
curing its recognition as the
controlling channel for assist-
ance from various governments
and private groups and in per-
suading the Lumumba govern-
ment to make its requests for
aid to the UN. Hammarskjold is
reliably said to be firmly op-
posed to '."freewheeling" on
the part of any group, including
the UN specialized agencies.
(SECRET NOFORN)
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